Books, Cereal, and Dog Tags
by DieBuecherDiebin
Summary: Inspired by a fanfiction I read, Alfred's dad is involved in the government, and Arthur attends Hetalia High, and elite private school. One day, Alfred sees Arthur, and is immediately entranced. He follows Arthur to his favorite bookstore, owned by my OC!Jenna King. What will they do when Alfred's dad sends a government agent to find Alfred after he ditched family day? USUK!
1. Anne Frank and Sunglasses

**Authors Note: Hey guys! My awesome beta reader pointed out that I switched perspectives near the end of the chapter so I just updated it. Nothing new yet, but I will definitely update within the next 4 days. Happy reading! **

* * *

Arthur walked happily into the bookstore, his sanctuary from the noise of life. The usual look of pure bliss on his face, the dark bookstore appealed to him even more, after what had happened.

Jenna saw him come in and called out "Hey Arthur!" ignoring the handsome man who entered after him.

Arthur saw her, and tried to scowl, she was eating cereal in a bookstore. What if something happened? "Hello Jenna." he said, unable to give his voice a curt edge, the British accent coming out soft and gentle. He walked over to her, still valiantly trying to scowl.

Jenna waved her pointer finger at him, and said, "Tsk tsk." She checked on the other man again, and nearly laughed when she noticed his awe filled stare. Looking around like she was afraid if getting caught, she pulled out a stack of books from behind her, and gave them to Arthur.

He offered her the slightest of smiles, and she grinned in return. Still teasing him, she groaned, "Do you know how long it took me to find these for you?" She crossed her arms and huffed.

Arthur rolled his eyes slightly, and in that same soft voice, he said, "Thank you, Jenna."

She shook her head, and gave him a look of petulance. "No! You're supposed to guess!" she whined, melodramatic as always.

He sighed, and without thinking, offered, "Three hours?"

Jenna grinned, snickering a bit, and held up two fingers. "Two minutes." Tapping her head as Arthur went oh, she said, "Remember! Photographic and eidetic memory!" By now she had determined what the strange man was doing, curled her finger, beckoning Arthur towards her.

He sighed again, and asked, "What?" walking closer.

She curled her finger again, and when he was close enough, whispered in his ear, "I think you have an admirer. Don't look now but he is right behind you, and he is looking at you like you are the most beautiful thing he has ever seen."

Arthur raised his head slowly, and, ignoring the man, and keeping a straight face, said, "Is that so. May I read now?" His voice was even but there was a faint flush in his pale cheeks, making him look even more adorable, fuzzy eyebrows furrowed together in a ruffled manner, forest green eyes glancing over to his secret reading spot.

Jenna grinned again, and made a large sweeping motion over to it with her arm. "Enjoy, Mr. Kirkland." she said, knowing that the boy had heard everything she had said, and now knew Arthur's full name.

He gave her a slightly larger smile, truly grateful for the books, and the continued use of what Jenna called the Anne Frank room.

Once he was seated, and immersed in one of the books, Jenna looked up at the boy, and took another bite of cereal. Once done, she called out, "Hey dude." having determined that that was the best greeting based in his dress. Nonchalantly, she added, "Nice tags. They could get you anywhere, right?"

He looked slightly startled, and walked over. Jenna smiled to herself. This was going perfectly. Scanning the outside street, her suspicions were confirmed.

"Pardon?" he asked, once he got to the clerks table, a look of guarded confusion on his handsome face.

"My apologies. I am pretty good at noticing details." Steeping her fingers, she nodded her head outside, and asked, "Your government friend looking for you after you played hooky?"

He spun around and looked outside, and Jenna mouthed at Arthur, who had looked up from his book for a moment, he's hot! Arthur blushed, and went back to reading, and the boy turned back around. Now a look of suave charm hidden by just a natural friendliness dominated his face.

"May I hide from him in this fine establishment?" he asked, using more charm than he needed, since Jenna would have gotten him in the Anne Frank room eventually.

Jenna pretended to groan, before giving him an all American smile, and jerking her thumb at the small alcove where Arthur was sitting.

He looked like all of his wishes had come true, and hurried over to sit in the chair adjacent to Arthur's.

Jenna said, "Don't worry about disturbing him. Once he starts reading, the corporeal world he knows melts around him, leaving him on an existential journey through the fiction world." The boy had picked a random book to pretend to read, but Jenna saw his eyes flicker to Arthur constantly. She finished, "His sixth sense turns off usually. One time, as an experiment, I stared at him nonstop until he finished the book, and he didn't notice."

Arthur's eyebrows crinkled slightly, as he tried to figure out what Jenna was talking about, but decided he didn't care, and when the boys eyes flickered back to him with unbridled joy at the hidden message Jenna had hinted at, his face was back to normal, smooth and calm.

Jenna sighed contentedly, glad that the boy had gotten the fake hint she had left. With luck, the boy would gaze at Arthur in adoration the whole time, thinking Arthur didn't know, while Arthur realized that this boy really did like him, and then hopefully, they would eventually fall in love, and get married in the bookstore, and then she would forever have them in her debt. With luck that is.

Jenna's brown eyes scanned the street again, finding the woefully disguised government agent easily, and then growing in concern. They really wants to find this guy. From what Jenna could see, they were checking all of the stores. She heard the faint noise of the next store overs door being opened, and realized that they were next.

She cleared her throat, and when the boy looked up, Arthur ignoring her, said, "Pardon me, but they really want to find you. It seems that they are checking stores and that we are next. However," she said loudly, as he went to leave, panic filling his sky blue eyes, "However, I have this thing, where I hide possible fugitives in my store at least once a week, and am totally happy to keep you hidden, Anne Frank."

At this, Arthur's eyes fluttered to hers, looking worried and shocked. She gave a barely discernible shake of her head, and he calmed down, going back to his book. Jenna faced at the boy, and he looked confused, as he should be.

"Give me your name if you want to live!" she cried dramatically, filling her brown eyes with urgency.

"Alfred F. Jones." he replied proudly.

"Excellent. Now Alfred, you are about to see why I call this the Anne Frank room. I must remind you not to make a sound, please. I haven't sound proofed it yet." Jenna said, using false bravado in a tone slightly reminiscent of flight attendants, but deeper.

She stood, and moved a stack of books, revealing a glowing screen, set into the old wood of the counter. On it, were the keys of a piano. Quickly playing a riff she pointed to the tracks on the floor. Alfred's eyes followed hers, and he then looked up to see a second bookcase sliding in front of him, completing the fourth wall of their cube, the other shelves shifting a bit to hide the tracks.

Jenna smiled, thinking once again, coolest system ever! Hearing the sound of expensive shoes coming nearer, she sat back down, and ate some more cereal.

A short guy came in, wearing jeans that were clearly cut to look torn, a solid black tee shirt, again, clearly military standard grade, and, of course, sunglasses. All in all, a government agent, trying to fit in to the life if civilians, and failing miserably. At least, when it came to her.

"Hello sir." she said cordially, pushing the cereal away, as she racked her brain, trying to match his face. Like Alfred clearly was, Jenna was hooked up with all the big players in the government, and after a bit, pinned him. This was General Hinds assistant, Joey Gran. He knew me well.

"Hey Jenna. What's with the sir, you know me. In fact, you probably knew we were even coming before I came in." he said, well aware of her talents, and not afraid to compliment her on them.

"Too true Joey. Your jeans are clearly cut with scissors, your shirt is military grade, the sunglasses, really? They just serve to affirm the public's suspicions that you are from the government, or are smoking pot. But I didn't even need all that, true. Your shoes, my friend, your shoes. So horrifically shined, and new looking, you could only be a government dude, because nobody smoking pot could keep a job or shoes like that. Honestly Joey, it's like you don't even try." she said, finishing her impressive deductions speech satisfied that she had impressed Alfred, made Arthur think about Sherlock, and established that under no circumstances was Joey going to take Alfred away.

Joey was smart, and he got the message. He knew what the store looked like, he knew the Jenna liked to defy the government sometimes to show that she was nobodies puppet, and he knew that Alfred was sitting in there, with Arthur, my only true regular. Which Jenna had long since been satisfied with, preferring the peace and quiet.

Joey smiled, bowed, and walked out, calling, "Bye Jenna!" as he closed the door, assumed his usual straight face, and moved on to the next store.

Jenna left the bookcase room closed, partially wanting to give Arthur and Alfred some privacy, partially in case they checked the store again.

When the day was done, and Jenna was ready to close up, she opened the bookcase door, using the piano riff, and said goodbye to Alfred and Arthur, who walked out the door, holding hands.


	2. Green Eyes and Killer Angels

Alfred walked around the corner, checking behind his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. His dad wanted him to take his school work more seriously, and actually dedicate time to doing it. But he didn't need to. He always got perfect scores, and all of his teachers love him. He was supposed to be with his brother Mattie, at the military base his father worked in. But he had felt like a walk, so he told Mattie to cover for him, and left.

Now he was wandering the streets of Ann Arbor, doing one of his favorite things: people watching. As he swept his gaze across the street, he fingered his dog tags. They gave him almost complete access to any military base in America, signified his extreme importance as one of Lieutenant Jones' sons, and got him out of any issue with the local authorities. Within reason of course.

His eyes jumped from one person to the next, until they landed on a mop of messy blond hair. He looked down a bit and saw thick, dark eyebrows above bright emerald green eyes. Alfred stopped in his tracks, muttering a quick sorry to those who walked into him, as he stared at the boy those beautiful eyes belonged to.

He was wearing a dark blue cardigan and matching slacks, with brown Oxfords peeking out from underneath. He was walking quickly down the street, but Alfred saw a familiar crest next to his right lapel. This boy went to Hetalia High, a prestigious international private school. He and Mattie had gotten a letter about it, but they both preferred to be alone, and opted to continue their private studies together instead.

But if this angel went to Hetalia High, maybe it was worth it. Alfred was dismayed when the boy turned into an old bookstore. He looked both ways, and then crossed the street, walking to the store. He looked at the sign, and laughed. It was called Cur Non, which Alfred effortlessly translated from Latin to mean Why Not. He shrugged, and pushed open the door.

Stepping in, he was surprised by what he saw. Very dark hardwood floors were partially covered with old looking rugs, and the store was crammed with bookshelves. Thick tomes, leather bound books, newer brightly colored paperbacks and hardcovers were arranged neatly on what looked like roughly carved dark wood bookcases that stretch to the tall ceiling. Antique lamps hung from chains, casting a low light in the room. Big, overstuffed chair and small coffee tables completed the look, with a register pushed into the far corner of the back wall.

Behind it sat a girl with brown hair, a big smile, and, a porcelain bowl of what looked like cereal? His eyes found the boy, who stood accepting a pile of books from the girl. They talked a bit, and Alfred heard her call him first Arthur, and then Mr. Kirkland. He smiled happily at knowing his angels name. Arthur. Arthur Kirkland. It suited him, Alfred decided. His smile faded a bit when he saw Arthur disappear into a nook formed by three bookshelves.

He heard a nonchalant, "Hey dude." and looked over at the girl, who was eating another bite of cereal. She added, "Nice tags. They could get you anywhere, right?" He raised his eyebrows. Wow. How did she know about his tags?

He walked over to the register and asked, "Pardon?" keeping his expression guarded.

She smiled, and replied, "My apologies. I am pretty good at noticing details." She steepled her fingers, and nodded her head towards the window looking outside. Then she added, "Your government friend looking for you after you played hooky?"

Alfred's eyes widened, and he spun around, scanning the street outside, until he spotted them. An agent from the military base, clearly trying to blend in, and failing. He figured that his dad had sent him to collect him. He also figured that his best bet was to hide out here and wait for him to leave. Preferably with Arthur.

He turned back around, smiling widely at the girl, who looked back with an amused look on her face. "May I hide from him in this fine establishment?" he asked, pouring charm into his voice. With luck she would get the message.

She did, as she mock groaned, and jerked her thumb at the nook where Arthur was sitting. Not bothering to mask his delight, he quickly crossed over to the chair adjacent to Arthurs, and randomly pulled a book from the shelf behind him.

The girl was still talking, he vaguely realized. Listening, he heard her talk about how his Arthur didn't notice people staring at him while reading, or something like that. Grinning a bit, he lifted the book up slightly, and peered at Arthur from above it.

After a few moments, he heard the girl clear her throat loudly. He looked up, Arthur ignoring her, and she said, "Pardon me, but they really want to find you. It seems that they are checking stores and that we are next." Alfred started to rise, figuring it best if he wasn't dragged away by the apparently more than one agents his dad had sent before he even introduced himself to Arthur.

But the girl dispelled his worries with her next words. "However, I have this thing, where I hide possible fugitives in my store at least once a week, and am totally happy to keep you hidden, Anne Frank."

Alfred looked at her, confused, as she dramatically cried out, "Give me your name if you want to live!"

He made a split second decision to trust her, and said, "Alfred F. Jones."

She smiled, and said, "Excellent. Now Alfred, you are about to see why I call this the Anne Frank room. I must remain you not to make a sound, please. I haven't sound-proofed it yet." She stood up, moved a stack of books, and ran her fingers along the surface. A piano riff sounded in the air, and Alfred looked around, confused. The girl pointed to some tracks in the floor that he hadn't noticed before. To his amazement, one of the bookcases started to slide in front of him, creating a closed room.

Arthur glanced up, his eyes meeting mine. He immediately looked back down at his book, but not before Alfred saw a slight blush paint his pale, perfect, cheeks. Alfred took the opportunity to study him. Sandy blond hair fell messily across the top of his forehead, brushing the tops of his large eyebrows. To call them large was an understatement though. They were enormous. Alfred didn't think they detracted from his appearance at all though. Moving down, he tried to catch a glimpse of those breathtaking eyes again, but they remained downcast and hidden by long blond eyelashes. He had extremely pale skin, like alabaster, and it was perfectly smooth and unblemished.

He sighed a bit, and cleared his throat, hating to stop gazing secretly at Arthur, but wanting to talk to him. Arthur looked up, surprised, and Alfred momentarily lost himself in those luminescent eyes.

Shaking his head, he gave Arthur a million-watt grin, and said, "Hi! As you probably heard, my name is Alfred." _Would you like to be my boyfriend?_ He added in his mind.

Arthur nodded his head, and politely responded, "Hello Alfred. My name is Arthur."

Alfred's jaw dropped. Sweet liberty, Arthur was British. Alfred had a thing for accents, British ones in particular. Mattie had always teased him about it, but Alfred knew that he had a thing for German accents for some reason. Alfred ran through possible things to say next, mind racing, but Arthur saved him.

He pointed to Alfred's book and asked, "What book are you reading?"

Alfred looked down at the book. He had no idea. He closed it and looked at the cover. _Killer Angels_. He almost laughed. He had read this book before. This is great! He would actually be able to hold an intelligent conversation about books with Arthur.

"Yeah, it's _Killer Angels_. It's a Civil War book. I personally love it, because it gives so many different perspectives, and really reminds us about the people that fought the war." he said, mentally congratulating himself on his success when Arthur looked at him with a renewed interest.

They chatted about the book for a while, which Arthur had actually read, and eventually turned to books in general. Sensing that Arthur had warmed up to him, Alfred decided to go for the most cliché pick-up line in the book.

"So," he said, going for casual. "You come here often?"


	3. Smiles and Tea

_A cold wind whips across a boy's face as he runs down the empty street. Angry thoughts racing through his mind, he checks behind his shoulder often, waiting for them to come running after them. They don't, and eventually he slows down. He touches his stinging cheek, and becomes angry once more, as he remembers the events that had just occurred. _

_Glancing up, he sees an unfamiliar sign hanging above the old watch repair store. Looking closer at it, he sees that it says, _Cur Non._ He recognizes that the phrase is in Latin, but can't focus enough to translate it. Glancing in the window, his green eyes widen upon seeing crates of books. Biting his lip, he pushes on the door, and it opens easily. Stepping inside, he breathes in the musty air, and smiles, anger forgotten._

"_Who's there?" _

_The boy looks up, surprised, and sees a young girl about his age standing in the doorway to the backroom. She smiles, and walks over to him, weaving her way through the books as she does so. _

_The boy found his voice, and said quickly, "My apologies. I should have knocked. I will go now." He turned towards the door, but a hand grabbed his shoulder._

"_No worries. I'm just setting the store up. It's gonna be an antique book store." the girl said cheerfully. "Hey," she added, almost as an afterthought, "are you British?"_

_The boy stared back at her in surprise, and nodded._

"_Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! That's so cool! Hey, it's around teatime right?" The girl was very excited, and was speaking very fast, but eventually the boy was able to process her rapidly spoken words_

"_Yes, indeed it is. I should get home." he said sadly, dreading the thought of returning so soon. They were probably still angry. He felt a weight on his shoulder, and looked sideways to see a hand resting on his shoulder. He followed it back to the girls face, and her careful smile._

"_If you don't want to, you know, leave yet, uh, I have enough for two…" she trailed off, looking hopefully at him. He felt the warmth of gratitude seep into his body, and offered her a smile, which she gladly returned._

"_As long as you are sure it's no trouble, tea sounds lovely." he replied._

_Her smile widened, and she grabbed his arm, pulling him with her to the back of the store. As they went through the door, she turned around, a sheepish look on her face, and said, "I totally forgot. Hi, my name is Jenna King."_

_He gave her a real smile this time, and said, "Hello Jenna. My name is Arthur Kirkland."_


	4. Birthdays and Kisses

"So, yes, I do come here often." Arthur concluded.

"Wow! So how long ago was that?" Alfred asked excitedly once Arthur had finished telling him about meeting Jenna.

Arthur looked up at the ceiling before saying, "Two years ago." He looked back to find Alfred staring at him. "What?" he asked.

Alfred shook his head a bit, blinking. "Oh, what, nothing. Just lost in thought. Um, that's really cool. Two years, huh. And that would make you…" he trailed off, looking expectantly at Arthur with a hopeful look in his bright blue eyes.

"14, turning 15 this April. Why?" Arthur asked, a bit put off by the question.

"I just wanted to know if you were my age. And you are. I'm turning 15 this July." Alfred replied eagerly, excited that Arthur was his age. He wondered if Hetalia High would be willing to let him in as a late acceptance. He pointed to Arthur's uniform and asked, "So, what school do you go to?"

"It's a private boarding school called Hetalia High. It is very secretive. They don't like us to talk about it." Arthur replied, shifting uncomfortably. He opened his book again, signaling the end of the topic.

Alfred raised his eyebrow. He never realized that the school was a secret. He had gotten a letter to it after all. He briefly pondered trying to get Arthur to tell him more about the school but quickly dismissed the thought. How could he hope to build a healthy relationship if he didn't even give Arthur his space? The topic clearly bothered him. Alfred looked over at Arthur as he picked up _Killer Angels_ again under the pretense of reading, racking his brain for something else to say. Finding nothing, he settled himself in to actually read the book, since he had liked it the first time.

There was no clock in the room and Alfred had forgotten his watch that day so he didn't know how long it was before Arthur closed his book and started to stretch. Alfred roused himself too, and admired Arthur slender build. Seeing the nice watch on Arthur's wrist, his mind latched onto it, and he asked, "What time is it by the way?"

Arthur stifled a small yawn and answered, "7:30. Jenna usually closes the store around 7:35."

Alfred glanced at the still very much closed bookcase-door. "So, how do we get out?" he asked pointedly.

Arthur smiled a bit, and said, "She opens the door from the outside." There was a moment of awkward silence as they waited. Finally Alfred broke it.

"Hey, Arthur? Can I tell you something?" he said quietly, heart racing in anticipation.

Arthur looked a bit caught off guard, but nodded, facing Alfred seriously.

Alfred rocked back and forth on his heels a bit, and then said, "I like you. Like, like like you."

Arthur stared at him for a second, while his cheeks colored. He appeared to search for words, before finally sputtering, "I, but… You just… met me. How can, you even say such a thing?" He ducked his head, clutching his books tightly to his chest.

Alfred was focused on the blush that still colored his cheeks though. Taking a deep breath, he leaned in and pecked Arthur on the cheek, before saying, "I guess it's just an American thing. Sorry if that made you uncomfortable…" he trailed off, blushing as well.

Arthur stared at him in shock, and Alfred saw the battle going on in his eyes. He waited, and finally Arthur gave him a shy smile. "Well, er, Jenna should be opening the door soon to close the store. Uh, shall we meet here tomorrow, perhaps?" he stammered, looking at Alfred.

Alfred resisted pumping his fist in the air and instead replied, "Yeah, sounds awesome!" grabbing Arthur's hand.

Arthur paused a bit, before squeezing Alfred's fingers. They looked at each other, gazes locking, lost in each other's eyes, and both jumped when the familiar piano riff sounded, followed by the slight squeak of the bookcase sliding back.

They walked out, said good-bye to a smirking Jenna, and opened the door, and crossed the threshold into the sun's last setting rays.


End file.
